


Enough

by manadapanada



Series: Forgiveness [1]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Crying, Drama, Hopeful Ending, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-14 21:30:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11216634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manadapanada/pseuds/manadapanada
Summary: Aaron's had enough.





	Enough

**Author's Note:**

> So, I haven't written anything in years, but this story-line is killing me, and I need to fix it. Hope you like it! :)
> 
> Based on the Woolpack scene 15/06/2017, goes a slightly different direction.

“Can you just get off my case, alright?” Robert snaps, exasperated.

Tears spring to Aaron’s eyes. He bites his lower lip, then nods, “Yeah, mate. Reckon I can,” he replies, then leaves the pub.

Robert stares on in shock. “Aaron,” he calls out, following his husband. He catches up to the younger man just outside, grabbing his elbow, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bite your head off,”

Aaron just shakes his head, as a few tears fall, “You never mean to do anything, do ya? Yet here we are. You keep gettin’ short with me, when I’m just trying to make sure you’re alright,”

Robert feels his heart drop, as he reaches out to brush the tears off Aaron’s face. It drops further when Aaron flinches away from his touch. “Babe, I’m sorry. It’s just seeing her, and hearing what you have to say-“ 

“What I’ve said never mattered before, Robert! I was always just paranoid, according to you! Excuse me for letting the past dictate the future.”

“That’s not fair,” Robert counters, “You know this hasn’t been easy on me-“

“Stop,” Aaron says, holding an arm out, “So far this has been all about **you**. How sorry **you** are, how hard it is for **you** , how **you’ll** never cheat again,” Aaron spits, running a hand over his face. “When does it get to be about **me** Robert? About how heartbroken I am? About how devastated I am that my husband, **my husband** , broke all his vows after less than a month of marriage?”

“Aaron,” Robert pleas, reaching out to try and grasp the younger man’s hand, letting his hand fall to his side when Aaron jerks away.

“NO!” Aaron shouts, “You say it was hard for you, me being locked up, but how many people did you have to turn to? How many, Rob? Vic, Adam, Diane? Liv? Paddy or me mum? Hell, even Cain would have leant you an ear. Yet you turned to the one person that you know made me insecure,” Aaron takes a big breath, collecting his thoughts, “And after one bad day, one¸ you chose to sleep with her. To, what, teach me a lesson?”

“No, Aaron, no! Absolutely not! I love you, but you were high and I wanted-“

“To hurt me, yeah, you’ve said. What if I were to do the same? Find some bloke interested in me, and make us even, eh? Except I can’t, can I? If I sleep with a random bloke neither of us can get knocked up. There’s no way I can tie myself to another person the way you’ve done with Rebecca.”

Robert visibly pales at what Aaron has hurled at him. “You were right, Aaron. I should have stayed away from her, and I should have never minimized your feelings, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. I can say sorry until I’m blue in the face, but that’s not what you need. Tell me what you need, babe.”

Aaron sits down heavily on one of the benches outside the pub. He worries his lower lip between his teeth as he fiddles with his wedding ring. “I was being assaulted, abused, humiliated, every day, Rob. People in the prison knew that my dad was a child rapist, but they had no idea that I was the child he raped. So I was the one that they abused. I’ve suffered so much at his hands, and I thought it was over. But it wasn’t. And the only thing keeping me going is the thought of you and Liv, getting our house ready,” Aaron takes a deep breath, running a hand over his face, then resting it on his chest. “So yeah, Robert, I took spice to deal with what I was going through. And I’m sorry that I wasn’t putting you first, because for the first time in my life I was putting myself first.”

“All I can do is say that I’m sorry. And I am, Aaron.”

Aaron nods jerkily, then slides his wedding ring off his finger, “You know, the day you took off your engagement ring because of my jealousy towards Rebecca was one of the worst days of my life,”

Robert’s panicking now, as he can’t deal with his husband rejecting the wedding ring again, “I know, Aaron, babe, I know. It was a mistake-“

“No, it was you choosing her over me…again,” Aaron says, “After months of you telling me to just set my jealousy aside, and finding out you kissed her, made advancements towards her, it felt like a threat. Like I had to forgive you or else I’d lose you.”

Robert chokes up at that. He sees where Aaron is coming from, once it’s shoved in his face like this, and he is so ashamed. Aaron is the love of his life and he cannot believe how atrociously he has treated the man he calls his husband.

Robert takes in a shaky breath, “I never meant it that way. Aaron, you’ve had my heart for a lot longer than you realize. But, unfortunately, I fall back into personas…cocky, asshole personas. And I did it with you, and I’m sorry.”

Aaron shakes his head, “I think you’ve used up all your ‘I’m sorrys’” he says ruefully.

Robert feels his heartbeat speed up as Aaron gets up from the bench and starts towards home, “Aaron, please, don’t do anything drastic.”

Aaron lets out a belly laugh at that, which shocks Robert, “Anything drastic like hurt myself? Because the love of my life slept with someone else and is now expecting a child with her?” He asks cruelly, running the back of his hand across his eyes, “Or nothing drastic like finding someone to sleep with to get my mind off of the husband who was desperate to marry me, but cheated on me less than a month later?”

Tears are streaming down Robert’s cheeks, “Both,” he whispers. “I’m so sorry,”

“Sorry means nothing, coming from you,” Aaron scoffs. He stands up and slides his wedding ring into his pocket. "I'm going to stay at the Wooly for a couple days, get my head straight," he says, not looking Robert in the eyes, "And...and I don't think that I really want to see you for awhile."

A sob breaks free of Robert's throat, "Aaron please don't," he pleads desperately, "Please, I can't be without you."

"I meant what I said when I told you that I forgive you, but it doesn't erase what happened. You can't be giving Adam a hard time when what you did to me was so much worse," Aaron says darkly, "Vanessa and Adam had no history. Vanessa wasn't trying to break Adam and Vic up. But Rebecca and you had a past and she's still in love with you. She's probably waiting for us to split so that she can swoop in and have you."

"She can't have me. I'm yours," Robert says tearfully.

Aaron nods jerkily, "And I know that. But I didn't give myself enough time to process. I need a couple days, Robert. Can you allow me that here in the village, or do I need to go away?"

Robert hastily shakes his head, "No, no. Please don't leave. Please, babe, stay with your mum. I can give you space, I swear. Just please stay in Emmerdale." Robert's panicking at the idea of Aaron going into Leeds, or London, and finding an attractive man, someone who sees how amazing and wonderful Aaron is, and Aaron deciding he's had enough heartbreak from Robert and leaving him for someone better. Because he knows Aaron can do better, but he's so selfish and wants Aaron for himself.

Aaron worries his lower lip between his teeth and nods again. He goes to turn away, but hesitates. He turns back to Robert, taking his ring out of his pocket. He holds it out to Robert, and then holds out his left hand. Robert nearly trips over himself to take the ring out of Aaron's hand and places it back on his finger, where it belongs. He brings Aaron's hand up to his mouth and kisses it reverently. 

"I'm sorry I took it off. I was angry, but I didn't mean it. I knew it would hurt you, and we promised to stop hurting each other. I'm sorry, I'm trying to be better" Aaron murmurs.

Robert breaks down at this. He can't comprehend how after everything he's done, all the heartbreak he's caused, Aaron is apologizing to him right now. Sobs heave out of him, he knows he must look a mess, and it just worsens when Aaron pulls him into a hug. He nestles his head into Aaron's shoulder, holding onto him desperately. Aaron has one arm around his waist, the other around his shoulder, a hand playing gently with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Just a couple days, alright? And...and I think that I want you to look up a marriage counselor for us. We can't keep doing this on our own anymore," Aaron says gently.

Robert nods into Aaron's neck, before pulling away slightly. His breath is still unsteady from the force of his sobs, and he knows he must look a mess, but he couldn't care less. "I'll do anything for you," he says honestly.

Aaron lets go of Robert, and takes a step back, "I'm going to go pack a bag. I might text you, but I might not. Don't push me, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'm serious, Robert. I've forgiven you, I have, but I didn't give myself enough time to deal with my emotions. I love you, I swear I do, but over the last couple weeks it's been hard to look at you and also not hate you for what you did."

"I get it. I hate myself."

"Don't. I am serious about marriage counseling. Find someone for us, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Aaron says and starts walking towards the Mill. He turns suddenly and strides back, then presses a kiss to Robert's lips. "Love you,"

"Love you more," Robert chokes out, and then watches Aaron walk away. He collapses on the bench Aaron had occupied previously, and holds his head between his hands.

He’s only now realizing the enormity of his mistake.


End file.
